Hutchinson Technology Corporation

Surgical Innovations Limited

Michael T Hofflander

Jeffry S Bennin

Todd W Boucher

James H Dettmann

Jacob D Bjorstrom

Brent D Lien

Dean E Myers

Zachary A Pokornowski

Lloyd C Goss

Richard Rodger Jenneke

Reed T Hentges

Gary E Gustafson

Craig A Leabch

Mark Steven Lewandowski

John A Theget

Shawn P Bopp

Brian D Schafer

Brian J Stepien

John E Theisen

John L Wagner

Mark A Schmidt

John N Graber

Kevin D Bjork

A stainless steel dual stage actuated disk drive head suspension baseplate including a plated electrical contact area having nickel and gold. The baseplate can be heat treated. The nickel and gold can be in a mixture.

Low resistance ground joints for dual stage actuation disk drive suspensions

Stable, low resistance conductive adhesive ground connections between motor contacts and a gold-plated contact area on a stainless steel component of a dual stage actuated suspension. The stainless steel component can be a baseplate, load beam, hinge, motor plate, add-on feature or flexure.

An integrated lead disk drive suspension including a load beam and one or more conductive leads. The load beam has a mounting region on a proximal end, a head bonding platform on a distal end, and one or more spring regions connecting the head bonding platform to the mounting region. The conductive leads are integrated with and insulated from the load beam by an adhesive dielectric layer, and extend between the head bonding platform and the mounting region. The leads are adapted to reduce mechanical effects of the leads and/or dielectric layer on spring characteristics of the spring regions. One embodiment of the leads includes at least a first compensating portion which extends off the load beam and traverses a nonlinear path around at least a portion of one or more of the spring regions. In another embodiment the portions of the conductive leads extending between the distal end of the load beam and the head bonding platform are substantially free from the dielectric layer. In yet another embodiment the width of portions of the dielectric layer is about equal to or less than the width of adjacent portions of the conductive leads.

Hygrothermal load compensating structures in an integrated lead

Laminate structures for attachment to a head suspension assembly in a hard disk drive. The laminate structures include a spring metal layer, a conductive layer, and an intermediate insulator/adhesive layer. The conductive layer can act as an interconnect assembly, as a gimbal, and as a spring region. The method of manufacture of the laminate structures incorporates manufacture of an interconnect assembly into the manufacture of spring structures such as a load beam or a gimbal. The laminate structures are manufactured by etching the layers from the outside in, using other layers as etching masks. Unique configurations are possible where either or both metal layers can be discontinuous, thanks to the manufacturing support of the second layer. The second layer can also be shaped into a plurality of panels, thus freeing the metal layers to act as the spring elements.

Laminated structures for a disk drive suspension assembly

Method of making laminated structures for a disk drive suspension

An electrical head interconnect assembly is fabricated for installation upon the suspension member supporting a magnetic read/write head over a rotating storage disk of a magnetic disk drive. A head interconnect is comprised of a film carrier strip upon which conducting elements are positioned and bonded. The carrier strip can be of plastic, metallic, cellulosic, or composite construction. The conducting elements, fabricated of 1 or more twisted or parallel lengths, are routed along a prepatterned carrier strip defining the X, Y, and Z coordinate positioning required to mate with a suspension member without manual routing or manipulation. In addition, the conducting elements are fixedly spaced with stripped insulation at both termination points of the interconnect (electronics and head) allowing prepositioned, automatable bonding to connective pads. A suspension member positioned and bonded within the strip at appendage sites, completes the installation of the conducting elements upon the suspension. The carrier then serves to secure the conductors and suspension within the protective framework of the strip and provides patterned tooling references until excised upon completion of head suspension assembly.

Carrier strip head interconnect assembly

A tissue and organ extractor is provided for use during laparoscopic surgical procedures. The tissue and organ extractor has a handle, an elongated shank, and a flexible collapsible working end. The handle includes lock for locking a grasping instrument, such as forceps, securely in place in relation to the tissue and organ extractor. The extractor is inserted through a cannula into an abdominal cavity and the tissue or organ to be removed is manipulated into the working end by a grasping instrument. The extractor, grasping instrument and tissue are removed from the abdominal cavity through the cannula. The working end envelops the tissue and, during removal, compresses the enveloped tissue.

Tissue and organ extractor

Growing community of inventors

Edina, MN, United States of America

Michael T Hofflander